The Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator referred to as CARB-X https://carb-x.org is a global non-partisan partnership led by Boston University https://www.bu.edu with funding provided by BARDA https://aspr.hhs.gov, within HHS, and Wellcome https://wellcome.org, a global charity.
The goal is to improve health worldwide by accelerating early development antibacterial R&D to address the rising global threat of drug resistant bacteria. According to Kevin Outterson, Executive Director of CARB-X and Professor of Law at Boston University, “We now know that Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) kills more people each year than HIV or malaria, and a similar number to TB. With the new funding, CARB-X will continue to invest to support early stage R&D for new antibacterial therapies, preventatives, and diagnostics.”
Initial funding of $355 million from both BARDA and Wellcome originally launched CARB-X in 2016 and new funding just announced is going to build on the success of this international non-profit partnership. So far, CARB-X has received over $500 million and has invested $361 million of the funding to support the advancement of 93 innovative projects in twelve countries.
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) within HHS, will provide $20 million initially and up to $300 million over 10 years to support the existing portfolio and then launch new funding rounds.
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) https://www.niaid.nih.gov within NIH will provide in-kind services through access to a suite of preclinical services for product development. In addition Wellcome will provide up to $70 million over three years as part of their continued commitment to address the escalating threat of drug resistant infections.
The program already has accelerated products with eleven candidates available for treatment or prevention which have progressed into first-in-human clinical trials with more trials expected to begin later this year.
Four diagnostics have progressed into the validation and verifications stage, which primes them for pivotal clinical trials. Two companies formerly supported by CARB-X are now supported by BARDA for Advanced R&D to bring their candidates closer to approval